Photographer Jeff Janowski took this photo of Fred Kumpel, which accompanied the Greater Wilmington Business Journal article.
Fred Kumpel owns a fruitful family business − a business he did not inherit from his own family. After working for Strickland’s Home in Wilmington for nearly 25 years, he bought the successful window treatment business in 2008.
Strickland’s has been serving the Wilmington area since 1942, and is currently celebrating its 70th anniversary. From its showroom on Castle Hayne Road, the company offers an assortment of blinds, shades, shutters and custom draperies and fabric window treatments for both homes and offices. It also repairs its own and other companies’ products − whether it be restringing of an old set of blinds or fixing the latest motorized shades.
After moving back to Wilmington from Texas as a teenager, Kumpel began working at Strickland’s part-time, and has worked in almost every aspect of the business. In an interview with the Greater Wilmington Business Journal, Kumpel discusses how he came to own Strickland’s and the continued growth and success of the company.